Five soldiers of the Indian Army deployed for counter terrorism operations were charred to death and one was seriously injured on Thursday when the truck in which they were travelling in the Poonch district near the Line of Control (LOC) caught fire after Pakistan-backed terrorists attacked the vehicle with grenades.

Reports said that terrorists tossed grenades engulfing the truck in fire. A massive hunt has been launched to track down the terrorists who escaped into forest after attacking the Army truck.

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A spokesman of the Northern Command of the Army said taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area, unidentified terrorists approximately at 3 pm fired upon one Army vehicle that was moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajauri sector. The vehicle caught fire due to likely use of grenades by the terrorists, the spokesman said.

“Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations in this area have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident,” the spokesman added.

Another seriously injured soldier has been immediately shifted to the Army Hospital at Rajauri and is under treatment, he added.

The area has been cordoned off by the Army and other security forces and Operations are in progress to locate the terrorists.

Further details are being ascertained, the spokesman said.

Senior Army officers and police personnel have rushed to the spot that is about 90 km from Poonch. Sector Commander of the 13 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the army has also reached the spot.

A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

Meanwhile, videos of the burning truck have gone viral in which Army personnel and civilians are seen retrieving the charred bodies from the vehicle.

In another incident, a truck driver and his companion were killed when their vehicle was hit by a landslide and shooting stones last night on the Jammu–Srinagar highway.

Giving details of the mishap, senior superintendent of police, Ramban district, Mohita Sharma said, “Shooting stone hit a truck near Digole.”

She identified the deceased as Maqsood Ahmed and Naveed Ahmed. Both belonged to South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, she added.

Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha tweeted; “I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives of brave Army personnel in a tragic incident at Poonch. Their rich service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.”